Tone arm



April 3, 1951 B. CORNWELL TONE ARM Filed July 24, 1946 INVENTOR. LIONEL B. CORNWELL.

or excessive cost.

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 i g' 1f 2';547,441f A ro E ARM Q Lionel B.Cornwellf'fievv canaan,fconnf V 1 Application July .24 1946, Serial No. -ss5,931 can. (elicit-2t), 1 1

I UNITED STATES OF E-1.

ing 2,for receiving asuitable. sound translating unit or pickup such; as 3 provided with a stylusA.

This invention relates to tone arms for phonographs and the lilge apparatus; and more par+ ticularly to tone arms comprising improvedmeans Theother end of the arm I is preferably provided for supporting a pickup ,or sound translating unit with a suitable-counter-weight such as 5 which for Vertical and horizontal movement. v 1. 8 isc nveni n ly m de p r ly a d cur d in In devicesof this kind apickup or sound trans.- place as by a screw 6. The rear end of the'arm lating unit provided with a stylus or the like I is preferably widened out (Fig. 3) and in this translating element is carried by the outerend widened portion, intermediate the head 2 and of the tone armand it is necessary not only to counter-weights, and preferably nearer the latprovide for a predetermined constant force to be 1 ter, a pair of laterally spaceddownwardly exexerted by the stylus point ,againstthe sound tending bosses such as l are disposed-equidistant record by suitably balancing the tone armbut pp sides thvcentra'l tu nalaxis to provide for lateral and vertical movement of the stylus point insuch a manner as to reduce cesses such as 8 which terminate inwardly in friction to a minimum. In present practice it wide inverted V-shaped bottoms whose vertexes is founddesirable to have a relatively unbalanced p ovide line bearings lyi on a horizontally dist. h th t the force of gravity exerted posedtline A-B (Fig.3) normal to the said axis of by the stylus against a-sound record is relatively arm I; The arm [is supported for vertical movesmall, e. g., of the order of 35 grams, and hence n a u as an axis; a p 0f requirements for reducing friction to a minimum 90 crum knife-edges such as 9 (Fi 5) fOrmed 0n and precision of-,movement have become quite fulcrum lugs such as I0 which are integral with critical. I I and extend in opposite directions from the center Heretofore various attempts have been madeto line of a fulcrum bracket or arm designated in meet these requirements, but the only success at-. general a t e kn fe-ed es 9 bein seated in tained has been directly proportionate to the des pp r in en em nt "wi h resp ctiv of aid gree of precision machiningand precise inspece line bearing d sp se 0 l e A- P u s Such tion of bearing parts with a correspondingly high as IZfpreferably made of resilient material such r r 4 as rubber, are secured in the recesses 8 with their An object of the invention is to provide a tone nnrendsfspaced downwar ly fI' m the bottoms arm of the character described. havinsimproved of the fulcrum lu s s as o be free 0f pivotal bearings. l

Another object of the invention is to-providea device of the character described which maybe economically and readily made and yetis cf.- ficient and dependable in operation. l

the-fulcrum axis while preventing acci dentallifting of the arm from its fulcrum support. I i g The fulcrum' arm H is provided at its rear end with an upper fulcrum lug I3 having aforthe invention-will be apparent from the following Wa d y f v t y d spo d ful um nifedescription taken in connection with the accorn s I a dw a lowe ulc um u I av panying drawings, in which: r a rearwardly facing vertically disposed. fulcrum Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tone arm embody- 4Q knife-edge lfiinlalignment With and spaced W ing my invention, on somewhatreduced scale; wardly fp mthe knife-edge 14;. sa d ed I445 Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken be n disposed on a vertical aXis a p s along 'a vertical plane passing substantially p s ng throu h the lon i udin l axi orgc nter through the '-longitudinal central axis of-Fig r; lin'e dflbra'ck'etl I andhorrnal to the line AB. Fig. 3 is a, bottom plan view of the deviceishown h' 'if t m arm l I is supp rted for movement i Fi 2; a .1 ical axis; (J-4D in the following Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken -at 4 4 r'fi figp ta- Or ase, desi of Fig. 2; and" ehera'l asill; is provided with a bottom Figs. 5;6'and7 are respectivelma top plan view; jprovided with holes I!) for receiving a bottom plan view and anendelevational' view 9 ql -dqw with W W of the fulcrum'arm shown in Figs. 2-=and- 3::.

"Referring :to' thedrawings and more parti'cu-j larly to- Figs. land '2,- an arm- I; preferably '"of inverted';v-sh ape'ln-cross;section; carries atgits. forward or" outer end an enlarged piston or 1101181! a r 1 ppo y p se pw flh-; 0wn- Other andfurther objects andadvantagesof permit] free; lateral movement of-it he arm H. A; plug -or piston, designatedingeneral as 22, is

ofthe arm 2. The bosses Tare provided with reagement with said lugs during pivotal movement ingslee ve portion'zil slotted at 2| to r eceiveand proyidedwithfa cross-head or lower; wall 23 and wardly extending side walls 24 preferably formed as cylindrical sectors, to the upper ends of which a plate 25 is rigidly secured, as by screws 25', providing an upper end wall. The plug 22 is positioned within a cylindrical bore provided in the sleeve 20 of pedestal ll; said bore being centered on axis CD and providing a snug sliding fit for plug 22. The plug 22 is held in vertical adjusted position by means of a screw 26 whose upper end is in threaded engagement with the plug and whose lower end is provided with a smooth shank 21 of reduced diameter disposed intermediate its head and threaded portion and journaled for rotation and fixed against axial thrust in a boss 28 (Fig. 3) integral with and extending interiorly of the sleeve 20. The plug wall sections 24 are spaced apart at their forward edges to provide a space in register with the sleeve slot 2| for similarly accommodating the fulcrum arm H and the forward edges are in abutting engagement with a pair of vertically extending interior shoulders 29 formed in the sleeve 20 and serving to accurately fix the angular position of the plug 22 while permitting axial adjustment. The wall sections 24 are likewise spaced apart at their rear edges and the bearing lug 28 extends into this space below the end wall 23.

The upper end wall is provided with a recess or opening 30 (Fig. 4) of butterfly shape terminating forwardly in a line bearing 3| disposed on the vertical axis CD and in supporting engagement with the upper fulcrum edge [4 of lug l3 (Figs. 2 and Similarly, the bottom wall 23 of plug 22 is provided with a butterfly recess 32 (Fig. 2) of the same shape as the recess 30 but diametrically oppositely disposed and providing a line bearing similar to 3| but oppositely disposed on the axis CD and in supporting engagement with the fulcrum edge IE on lug l5. The recesses 30 and 32 providing sufficient clearance for a movement of the order of 45 of arm ll about its vertical fulcrum axis C-D. The vertical component of supporting thrust for the arm II is provided by a convex surface of relatively small radius of curvature extending upwardly into the recess 32 on the axis CD as a center line, and in supporting engagement with the lower end of the fulcrum edge I6 of lower lug l5. This convex surface is conveniently provided by a screw 33 extending upwardly through a cooperating threaded hole centered on axis C-D and the upper end of said screw having a hardened ball point extending into the recess 32 in supporting engagement with the fulcrum edge of lug l5. Alternately, the screw 33 may be provided with a concave or cupshaped inner end providing a spherical recess in which is journaled a hardened ball whose upper surface is in supporting contact with the fulcrum edge of said lug I5.

Horizontal movement of the fulcrum arm II and the tone arm member I carried thereby, is limited to the maximum angular movement about the vertical fulcrum axis CD by the inner edges of the side walls 24 of plug 22 (Figs. 2 and 3). Vertical movement of the tone arm member I is limited to the maximum angular movement about the horizontal fulcrum axis AB in an upward direction by engagement of the inner lower end of weight 5 with the sleeve 20 of the supporting pedestal I1 and in a downward direction by the engagement of the upper end of a screw 34 (Figs. 2 and 3), carried on a forwardly extending end of arm I I, with the adjacent portion of the interior upper wall of tone arm member I.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided for substantially frictionless movement of the tone arm in both vertical and horizontal directions by a rugged structure which does not require precision machining, nor special inspection or testing with precision gauges; and hence a highly satisfactory device may be produced in desired quantities at relatively low cost.

As will be obvious to those skilled in the art the several parts of the tone arm assembly can be made either by casting or stamping without the necessity of machining operations except for the boring and tapping of the screw holes in the piston or plug 22, and yet for all practical purposes the pivotal axes are frictionless and the parts so disposed as to permit perfect, quiet movement.

Having thus described my invention with particularity with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, and having referred to certain modifications, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that other changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I aim in the appended claims to cover such changes and modifications as are within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A tone arm for sound reproducing and recording comprising a movable arm member and a relatively fixed supporting member, one of said members being provided with a pair of vertically spaced fulcrum lugs and the other of said members being provided with correspondingly cooperating fulcrum notches, said lugs providing oppositely facing knife edges disposed in substantial vertical alignment and said notches providing oppositely disposed vertexes in substantial vertical alignment with and respectively engaged by said knife edges, said lugs and notches being so constructed and arranged that upon angular movement of said arm the sole points of contact between said arm and supporting member lie substantially along a vertical line.

2. A tone arm for sound reproducing and recording comprising a movable arm member and a relatively fixed supporting member, one of said members being provided with a pair of vertically spaced fulcrum lugs and the other of said members bein provided with correspondingly cooperating fulcrum notches, said lugs providing oppositely facing knife edges disposed in substantial vertical alignment and said notches providing oppositely disposed vertexes in substantial vertical alignment with and respectively engaged by said knife edges, said supporting member providing a substantially rounded surface of relatively small radius of curvature disposed directly below the lowermost of said vertexes and in vertical supporting engagement with the lowermost of said knife edges, said parts being so constructed and arranged that upon angular movement of said arm the sole points of contact between said arm and supporting member lie substantially along a vertical line.

3. In a device of the character described having a tone arm adapted to carry a pickup head and a member on which said arm is mounted for vertical movement about a substantially horizontal axis, the combination with said member of a second member supporting said first member for horizontal movement about a substantially vertical fulcrum axis spaced rearwardly of said horizontal axis and disposed in a plane substantially normal to and intersecting said horizontal fulcrum, said vertical fulcrum axis being provided by oppositely directed fulcrum edges carried byone of such members and knife edge bearings carried by the other of said members.

4. A tone arm assembly for sound reproducing and recording comprising an arm adapted to carry a sound translating element at one end, a bracket on which said arm i mounted and a support for said bracket, said bracket being provided at its rear end with a pair of vertically spaced fulcrum lugs presenting respective upper forwardly facing and lower rearwardly facing fulcrum knife edges dis osed in vertical alignment, said support being provided with notche having vertexes disposed in vertical alignment with and respectively engaged by said knife edges, said notches and lugs being so constructed and arranged that upon angular horizontal movement of said bracket the sole points of contact between said bracket and support lie substantially along a vertical line, said arm being freely pivotally mounted on said bracket about a substantially horizontal axis spaced forwardly of said vertical fulcrum axis.

In a tone arm device for sound reproducing and recording having an arm for carrying a sound translating unit and an arm supporting said first arm for vertical movement about a horizontal axis normal to the longitudinal axis of said first arm, the combination with said supporting arm of a relatively fixed support on which said supporting arm is mounted for horizontal movement about a substantially vertical fulcrum axis, said vertical fulcrum axis being provided by vertically spaced knife edge fulcrums disposed in vertical alignment and facing in opposite directions and engaging respective cooperatively associated vertexes, a base, and means for vertically adjusting said support with respect to said base along an axis substantially parallel to said vertical fulcrum axis, said support being fixed against angular movement about said parallel axis.

6. In a device of the character described the combination of an arm for carrying a sound translating unit, a fulcrum arm for supporting said first arm, said fulcrum arm being provided with oppositely disposed lugs providing horizontally spaced fulcrum knife edges and said first arm having cooperatingly disposed recesses provided with vertexes engaged respectively by said knife edges, plugs secured in respective of said recesses with their inner ends spaced below said lugs, said fulcrum arm also having a pair of vertically spaced lugs provided with oppositely disposed knife edge fulcrums disposed in vertical alignment, and a support for said fulcrum arm, said support comprising a base having a vertically disposed sleeve portion, a plug cooperatingly disposed within said sleeve for vertical movement relative thereto and fixed against angular movement, means for securing said plug in adjusted vertical position, said plug being provided with vertically spaced upper and lower end walls having recesses therein providing vertexes cooperatingly disposed to receive respective of said vertically disposed knife edge fulcrums, the lower wall of said plug being provided with a convex bearing surface of relatively small radius of curvature disposed in it recess in vertical alignment with said vertexes and in supporting engagement with the lowermost of said knife edge fulcrums.

'7. In a device of the character described the combination of an arm for carrying a sound translating unit, a fulcrum arm for supporting said first arm, said fulcrum arm bein provided intermediate its longitudinal extent with oppositely disposed lugs providing horizontally spaced fulcrum knife edges and said first arm having cooperatingly disposed recesses provided with vertexes engaged respectively by said knife edges, resilient plugs secured in respective of said recesses withthcir inner ends spaced below said lugs, said fulcrum arm also having at its rear end a pair of vertically spaced lugs provided with oppositely disposed knife edge fulcrums disposed in vertical alignment in a plane substantially coinciding with the longitudinal axis of said fulcrum arm, and a support for said fulcrum arm, said support comprising a base having a vertically disposed sleeve portion, a plug cooperatingly disposed within said sleeve for vertical movement relative thereto and fixed against angular movement, means for securing said plug in adjusted vertical position, said plug comprising vertically extending side portions spaced apart on opposite sides of said fulcrum arm and vertically spaced. upper and lower end walls having recesses therein providing cooperatingly disposed vertexes in which are seated respective of said vertically disposed knife edge fulcrums, and a ball pointed screw extending axially through said lower wall and having its ball point disposed in said lower wall recess and in vertically supporting engagement with the lowermost of said vertical fulcrum lugs.

LIONEL B. CORNWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 922,297 Landon May 18, 1909 1,198,636 Huseby Sept. 19, 1916 2,375,658 Johnson May 8, 1945 2,434,033 Cain Jan. 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 64,045 Denmark Oct. 22, 1945 

